And a View from the Shore

This is a bit off-topic in that it does not relate to Kaia, however I witnessed something on the way home from my run today that truly captures this place. My typical course is to run from our apartment building, towards town, through a temple/shopping area, and back home via the beach. Generally, I’ll stop about a ¼ of a mile from our place and walk home just to cool down and enjoy the early morning sights and all the various things going on at the beach at that time of day. As I walked back along the shoreline, I saw a man squatting and staring out at the sunrise. Of course, with two fisherman encampments on either side of our beach area, it is not surprising to see men taking care of their morning business (this is why I don’t run on the shoreline—too many paddies to dodge). But today, it was a bit different.

The area where I was walking back is not usually visited by defecating fisherfolk. In fact, it is just not practical as it is quite a ways from their homes—but this man was clearly not a fisherman based on his attire (rather new lungi) and age (probably in his mid-50s). I imagine that he, like the hundreds of folks who walk, run, practice yoga, etc. on this strip of beach every morning, was out exercising and felt the call. As I have written about before, relieving yourself in public is not so shocking (at least urinating), so I guess he wanted to get a bit away from the crowd and find some ‘privacy’.

When I spotted him, I was about 50 feet away and noticed that he, like me, was enjoying the beautiful sunrise this morning. I suppose that the Chennai pollution has something to do with it, but at times the sunrise can be truly spectacular. I am not as taken aback as I once was when seeing someone dumping out in public as I once was, but it is still a bit arresting, particularly when it is someone what you wouldn’t expect to be doing it (i.e. Fisherman or street dweller). But what made this episode so unique was what was in his hand—a cellphone—and what he was doing at the same time as taking a dump—talking on it. I was both humored and contemplative at the sight—this, in many ways, is today’s India. Public health nightmare with the cutting edge of technology in your foreground, while beyond it are vast depths of beauty and opportunity. Many cannot get past that first image—the figure of a middle-aged, middle class man’s drooping genitals or the fact that he could be talking to the other side of the world are just too strong. But if you can move beyond this, there are many amazing vistas to experience. Of course, he and his actions are very much part of the landscape (not to mention the polluted coastline), but the point is to experience it all. I just had to stop and stare, wishing that I had my camera to mark the moment for all time. But, you’ll just have to imagine it (if you want)…I know I’ll never forgot it.

Why I Love this Time: Bubbles and a 2 ½ year old make for enormous fun.